LEGOS at McKee Gardens Holidays 2020

LEGO Polar Bear and Cubs

LEGO Monarch Butterfly on Milkweed

LEGO Jeweled Chameleon

LEGO Baby Sea Turtle Hatching

LEGO Snow Leopard

LEGO Coral Reef

LEGO Coral Reef – Close-up of Seahorse

LEGO Whooping Crane on Nest of Eggs

LEGO Zebra

LEGO Hummingbird Feeding from Trumpet Flower

Bushes as Elves in Garden

Holiday Angel Display

Maroon and Yellow Cattleya Orchid in Bloom

Purple Waterlily Blooming in December

We especially enjoyed the LEGO art on display at McKee Gardens over the holidays.  It was great to see such creative sculptures by talented artist Sean Kenney in “Nature Connects: Art with LEGO Bricks”. 

Click on any of the pictures to enlarge and see details about how many LEGO bricks are in the sculpture and how many hours it took to create it.  For example, the Polar Bear with Cubs sculpture is the most complex – it is composed of 133,263 LEGO bricks and took 1,048.5 hours to build.

See Sean Kenney’s tour schedule by Imagine Exhibitions at:  https://www.seankenney.com/portfolio/nature_connects/  See more of his work at:  https://www.seankenney.com/exhibits/

Florida: Fantastic Waterlilies

Lavender Waterlily with “Sunflower” Center

Lovely White Lotus

Yellow Waterlily

Purple Waterlily with Red Center

Red Hibiscus

Vintage Movie: Woman Feeding Deer

Vintage Movie: Chimps Eating at Table

Summer is peak waterlily time at McKee Gardens in Vero Beach, Florida.  Lots of waterlilies are in bloom, along with many other beautiful flowers. There is always something new to see!  The park first opened as McKee Jungle Gardens in 1932 as one of Florida’s earliest roadside attractions.  At that time the park was much bigger and monkeys roamed the garden.  A vintage eight minute movie from 1939 named “A Man-Made Jungle” is always on display and fun to watch.  You can see it yourself at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zY7SZT1B-c    More info about McKee Gardens is at: http://www.mckeegarden.org/

McKee Gardens: Nature-Themed LEGO Art

Mallard with Ducklings and Egg

Monarch Butterfly on Milkweed Flower

Giant White Triumphator Lily

Hummingbird at Trumpet Flower

Milk Snake and Field Mouse

Bald Eagle

Pileated Woodpecker

Bluebird on Feeder with LEGO Birdseed

Bluebird on Sundial (really works!)

Garden Worker

Rototiller

Currently on display at McKee Botanical Garden in Vero Beach, Florida, is the exhibit “Nature Connects:  Art with LEGO Bricks” by artist Sean Kenney (www.seankenney.com).  His goal is to inspire creativity.  These nature-themed LEGO sculptures are quite impressive!

Florida: McKee Gardens During the Holidays

Florida Christmas Decorations at Historic Hall of Giants

Natural Tree with Birdhouse Ornaments

Presents with Natural Decorations (dried lotus pods and wasp nests)

Snowman on Luminaria Pathway

Fabric Pandas Playing in Bamboo Forest

Fabric Panda Standing Beside Bamboo

Entrance Pond with Floating Flowers, Goldfish, and Bullfrog

Orange Fabric Goldfish and Flowers

Fabric Goldfish and Inflatable Bullfrog on Pond

Giant Inflatable Bullfrog on Pond

Orange Fabric Goldfish at Pond

Glass Ball Sculpture and Floating Orange Fabric Flowers

Floating Pink Fabric Flowers and Grasses

Purple Orchid and Pink Ginger

Balloon Plant

Zebra Longwing Butterfly on Red Salvia

We always enjoy visiting McKee Gardens in Vero Beach, Florida, over the Christmas holidays.   The decorations are beautiful in December, and the flowers are always blooming!

McKee Gardens: Amazing LEGO Sculptures!

LEGO Hummingbird

LEGO 7 Foot Tall Rose

LEGO Close-up of Rose Petals

LEGO Swallowtail Butterfly

LEGO Swallowtail Butterfly in Bamboo Grove

LEGO Dragonfly on Pond

LEGO Koi and Lilypad

LEGO Frog on Lilypad

LEGO Victoria Waterlily

Real Victoria Waterlily

LEGO Flying Bee

LEGO Rabbit and Fox

LEGO Fox in Woods

LEGO Bison and Calf

LEGO Life Size Gardener

LEGO Life Size Lawn Mower

LEGO Sprouting Acorn

LEGO Goldfinches at Feeder Filled with LEGO Birdseed

There is a  special “Nature Connects, a LEGO Brick Exhibition” currently on display at McKee Gardens, Vero Beach, Florida, from January 16 – April 12, 2015.  The sculptures are incredible!  Artist Sean Kenney has transformed children’s toys into real works of art.  His pieces have been shown at galleries, museums, tourist attractions, and on television.  More info about Sean and his amazing LEGO art is at:  http://www.seankenney.com/  Info on visiting McKee Gardens is at:  http://www.mckeegarden.org/  Click on any of the pictures for more detailed information about each art piece.

Florida: December at McKee Botanical Garden

Pink Bromeliad Blooming (Friendship Plant)

Close-up of Friendship Plant Flower

Orchid Tree Blooming

Purple Waterlily with Spotted Lilypad

Giant White Spider Lily (Crinum species)

Palm Frond Patterns

Holiday Flamingo with Pom Poms on Head

Holiday Flamingo with Beads and Christmas Balls

Holiday Flamingo with Beads and Pink Ribbon

Inflated Snowman Resting on Lawn

There is always something blooming at McKee Botanical Garden in Vero Beach, Florida.  It is especially fun to visit in December when the holiday decorations are up.  Florida truly is the “Land of Flowers”.  More info is at:  http://www.mckeegarden.org/index.php

Florida’s McKee Gardens: Flower Power

Purple Waterlily with Purple Center

Beautiful Green Reflection on Waterlily Pond

Yellow and Pink Waterlilies Together

Purple Orchid

Mutated Bicolor Waterlily (yellow and peach)

Frilly White Waterlily Flower and Heart Shaped Leaf

Tall Purple Waterlily

Dark Pink Waterlily with Yellow Center

Yellow Waterlily Beside Textured Leaf

Red Skimmer Dragonfly on Purple Waterlily

Pink Angel’s Trumpet Flower

Frilly Lavendar Waterlily

White and Pink Waterlilies Together

Voodoo Lily

Banana Flower with Fruit

Banana Flower Cross Section

Blue Skimmer Dragonfly on Purple Waterlily

Infrared Image of Coconut Palm

It has been a beautiful year for flowers at McKee Gardens.  There is always something in bloom.  Come and visit sunny Florida – the weather is perfect!

UPDATE May 2018:  McKee Gardens was recently recognized as one of the ten most romantic places in Florida by “Coastal Living” magazine!  Article here:  https://www.coastalliving.com/travel/gulf-coast/most-romantic-destinations-florida

McKee Gardens: Waterlily Beauty in Summer

Glass Balls on Pond

White Waterlilies

Pink Waterlily

Purple Waterlily

Apricot Waterlily

Lavender Waterlily

Lotus Flower

Lotus Seed Pod

Lotus Leaves with Water Drops

Red Skimmer Dragonfly on Waterlily Bud

The waterlilies are at their peak bloom at McKee Gardens in summer. Florida truly is the land of flowers!

Photo Contest Winner – “Waterlily Fire”

Waterlily Fire Winner

Original Waterlily Photograph

“Waterlily Fire” won first prize in the “Manipulated Photos” category of McKee Garden’s annual Waterlily Photo Contest!  What a pleasure and honor!  The conversion from original to final photograph was done using Redfield’s Fractalius Plug-in for Photoshop.

McKee Gardens: Beauty in May

Main Waterlily Pond and Bridge

Pink Waterlilies

Purple Waterlily

White Spider Lily Side View

White Spider Lily Front View

Lotus Leaves

Spider Amaryllis

Pelican Flower Bud

Pelican Flower Bloom

Sausage Tree

Old Man Palm (left) and Rainbow Gum Eucalyptus (right)

Rainbow Gum Eucalyptus Bark

Ornamental Pink Pineapple

Shell Ginger

McKee Gardens is especially gorgeous in May. What a beautiful time of year in Florida!

McKee Gardens: More Frabel Glass Art

Glass Lily

Glass Butterfly

Glass Bird Glowing in Sun

Glass Ball Tower

Glass Longfellow Strolling on Lilypads

Glass Longfellow Pair Backlit

Glass Longfellow Closeup

We enjoyed Frabel’s glass art at McKee Gardens so much that we returned for more photography.  The art looks different every time due to changing weather and light conditions.  http://frabelglass.com/

McKee Gardens: Frabel’s Glass Art

Glass Art on Mahogany Table

Glass Man in Wavy Lacework Bowl

Glass Magnolia Blossom

Glass Bird-of-Paradise

Glass Calla Lily

Glass Longfellows and Cubes

Glass Longfellows Walking on Lilypads

Glass Longfellow Sitting on Leaf

Red Glass Birds on Tree

Orange Glass Bird on Rock

“Blue Calla Flare” Glass Sculpture

McKee Gardens currently features a new exhibit by Hans Godo Frabel, who is famous for his flamework glass art.  The art in the garden is simply stunning!  Frabel is based in Atlanta, and his studios there are open to visitors:  http://frabelglass.com/

McKee Gardens: Fall Lilies

Lavender Waterlily and Reflection

White Waterlily Bloom Opening

Waterlily with Lilypad Patterns

Purple Chrysanthemum-Like Waterlily

Butterfly Ginger Lily (fragrant!)

Giant White Spider Lily or Hurricane Lily (Crinum species)

The Fall lilies at McKee Gardens are gorgeous – so many flowers in bloom!

McKee Gardens: Gorgeous Waterlilies

McKee Gardens Lily Pond

Pink Waterlily Flower and Bud

Purple Waterlily

Pink Waterlily Bloom and Lily Pads

Victoria Waterlily Flower and Giant Pads

Yellow Waterlily Flower

Lavender Waterlily Flower

Frilly White Waterlily Flower

Waterlilies are in full bloom at McKee Gardens in Florida.  The flowers and ponds are especially lovely this time of year!

McKee Gardens: Lotus Flowers

Lotus Flower Close-up

Lotus Flower and Bud

Lotus Petals on Leaf Pad

Lotus flowers are in full bloom at McKee Gardens.  In many cultures the flower is a symbol of divine beauty, purity, and enlightenment.

McKee Gardens: Favorite Waterlilies 2011

Pink Waterlily

Purple Waterlily

White Waterlilies

Waterlily Foursome

Waterlilies and Sky Reflection

McKee Gardens in Vero Beach, Florida, is famous for its blooming waterlilies.  These are our favorite waterlily pictures from 2011.

Florida Banded Water Snake and Waterlilies

Florida Banded Water Snake & Waterlilies

This pretty scene shows a Florida banded water snake sitting on the waterlily pads at McKee Gardens. This harmless snake eats bugs and tadpoles, and mainly hunts at night.